Suppliers key to Ford's Brazil plant.

Automotive News Europe,  June, 2002  by Chappell, Lindsay

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It may have been a feat for Ford to build an assembly plant in the Amazon Basin of Brazil.

But it was an even bigger accomplishment to work out the relationships among lawyers, accountants and directors of a dozen companies on three continents that are at the heart of the automaker's new approach to vehicle assembly.

At the $1.9 billion (2 billion) Amazon project, which started production in April in Bahia, Brazil, suppliers do not merely build parts for the Ford Fiesta, they share in the cost and ownership of the entire complex.

Ford is beginning to unveil its two-year ...

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